72-year-old homeless man shot to death in cold blood

Friday

Jan 23, 2009 at 12:01 AMJan 23, 2009 at 11:15 PM

During his daily can collection route, Arlindo Goncalves would often grab discarded roses from the trash outside funeral homes. The 72-year-old would keep the flowers with him to give to a friend. On Wednesday, while he was making his rounds, he was shot to death by a 22-year-old Brockton man who was looking for “non-white” people to kill, authorities said.

Kyle Alspach

During his daily can collection route, Arlindo Goncalves would often grab discarded roses from the trash outside of funeral homes.

The 72-year-old would keep the flowers with him until he could find his friend, Tina Monteiro. Then, proudly, he’d present her the gift.

“They were beautiful,” said Monteiro, 49, of Brockton. “I’d give him a kiss on the cheek, and he’d turn red and act shy.”

On Thursday, Monteiro was among a handful of friends who were mourning the loss of Goncalves, a homeless Cape Verdean man who they described as kindhearted.

Goncalves was shot to death Wednesday by a 22-year-old Brockton man who was looking for “non-white” people to kill, authorities said.

Goncalves, who was shot while pushing his shopping cart, was one of two people killed during the shooting spree on Clinton Street. A third person was injured, while a Brockton police officer and several bystanders were fired upon.

Goncalves had six children, three of them in Cape Verde, said his niece Amabela Fernandes of Brockton.

Friends said he was the most harmless of people — a man who never drank alcohol, spoke little English and loved to play a small keyboard he took with him everywhere.

“He never bothered a soul,” said John Nelson Sr., 60, who had been staying at the MainSpring shelter in Brockton along with Goncalves.

Goncalves had been at the shelter for about a year, friends said. A message left with a shelter official was not returned.

Goncalves was a hard worker, rising each morning at 5 to collect cans, some of which were intentionally left for him by residents, Nelson said.

Along with his can collecting, people on the streets of Brockton knew Goncalves as “the keyboard guy.”

Some of his favorite spots for playing were in front of restaurants on Legion Parkway in downtown Brockton and near the intersection of Pleasant Street and Warren Avenue.

“He did know how to play,” said Cornelius Church, 50, of Brockton, who said Goncalves played Spanish-sounding music. “He was pretty good.”

Goncalves would often clap or dance while playing, Monteiro said.

Monteiro said she also saw Goncalves helping people to cross the street on many occasions.

“Why would somebody want to shoot him?” she said.

Police and prosecutors say 22-year-old Keith Luke was driving away from killing a 20-year-old Cape Verdean Brockton woman and shooting her sister Wednesday afternoon when he spotted Goncalves, who he noticed was “non-white.”

Luke pulled over his van, got out and walked up to Goncalves, pointing his gun at the man.

Goncalves raised a hand in front of his face to protect himself, State Trooper Elvin Morales Jr. wrote in a report.

“Luke told us that he fired the gun one time, striking Goncalves in the head,” Morales wrote.

Goncalves tried to run away, but then was shot in the back and fell to the ground in the area of 52 Clinton St., the trooper wrote.

Goncalves was later pronounced dead at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital.

“He’s home now,” said friend Vincent Gamble of Brockton. “He doesn’t have to worry about being homeless no more.”